RA R I T I E S & C U R I O S I T I E S 37 T H L E I TZ P H OTO G RA P H I C A AU C T I O N
A daguerreotype camera from the year 1840, a Leica Gun Rifle, and a previously unknown prototype of the Leica CL – these are just some of the auction highlights that will make collectors’ hearts beat faster this November.
On November 21, 2020, the 37th Leitz Camera Auction takes place at the Hotel Bristol in Vienna. As always, the auction catalogue includes a number of especially rare treasures – some of which we shall introduce here. At the time of writing, new consignments are still being accepted. However, at this stage it seems fairly certain that the most expensive auction lot will be a camera that did not originate in Wetzlar. DAG UER R E OT YPIE CAM ERA. Louis Daguerre
(1787–1851) was not the first person to carry out photographic experiments. However, on August 19, 1839, the physicist François Arago presented the French artist’s technique, the daguerreotype, at a joint meeting of the Parisian Academies of Sciences and Fine Arts. 80 |
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Since then, this day has been considered to mark the birth of photography. Just one year later, the Viennese company founded by Johann Christoph Voigtländer in 1756 (which produced optical instruments, among others) released a daguerreotype camera. This was the first camera to feature an all-metal body and a mathematically calculated lens. Under the leadership of Johann Christoph’s grandson, Peter Wilhelm Friedrich (1812–1878), Voigtländer was also the first company to manufacture Petzval lenses, which were based on the calculations of German-Hungarian mathematician, Joseph Maximilian Petzval (1807– 1891). With their maximum aperture of 3.7, they were around 15 times faster than the lenses Daguerre used
in his own constructions – thereby enabling exposure times of under a minute. Of the reportedly 600 cameras sold up until 1842, only ten are known to exist today. The autumn auction marks the first time a camera of this type – representing one of the most important milestones in the history of photography – is offered in a public auction. The estimated sale price is 200 000 to 300 000 euros. L E I CA I “CA L FSK I N” .
Only 180 units of the Leica I (Model C Standard) with a light calfskin trim were produced in 1930/31. In many cases, the leather coverings became worn and were replaced at the Leitz factory with regular vulcanite trims – making an original calfskin Leica an extreme rarity. The offered model
(#67074) from the year 1931 is expected to be auctioned for 32 000 to 36 000. L E I CA G U N R I F L E. In
1938 E. Leitz, Inc. New York launched the Leica Gun Rifle, one of the rarest and most unusual Leica accessories ever made. It was produced for only one year (1938/39). Inspired by Attilio Gatti – an Italianborn explorer known for his numerous African expeditions – the ‘rifle camera’ was developed by E. Leitz, Inc. between 1935 and 1937, and introduced to the public in July 1938. Leitz Photographica Auction believe that only 12 to 14 Gun Rifles still exist in various collections worldwide. The offered unit was manufactured in 1938, and is in excellent original condition. →
